Meditation Experiences

It’s not all that unusual for meditators to have an experience of light during their practice session. The experience may be along the lines of “I felt I was dissolving into an intensely bright white light,” or “I could really ‘see’ swirling lights even though my eyes were closed,” or “My mind was perfectly calm and I became aware of the presence of energizing white (or another color) lights.”

Especially at first, many people who have experiences of this sort are either fascinated or disconcerted by them. While having such visions may be sought-after in other forms of spiritual practice, such as New Age, most of the legitimate mindfulness teachers will tell their students that the white light experience is nothing to be worried or excited about.

Is there science behind it?

Actually, there is! An article published in Frontiers of Psychology magazine in 2014 presents the results of a pilot study investigating this phenomenon among regular meditators. The article, A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional Buddhist and neurobiological perspectives, is a very well-rounded exploration of the subject seen from the perspectives of several different Buddhist schools. The experiences as described in Table 1 of the article give a good sampling of the kinds of light perception incidents that have been linked to meditation. For example, one participant states, “I was just bursting with light, I would just close my eyes and it was just brilliant light. I just felt like I was radiating, like there were rays of light coming out of me. … It felt like it was just emanating from my body and my system.”

One of the researchers’ suggestions is that the experience of lights during meditation is similar to that during sensory deprivation. In their conclusion, the authors state: “Investigating meditation-induced light experiences suggests that on account of restricting attention by deselecting sensory stimuli, certain meditation practices may function in a manner analogous to sensory deprivation and perceptual isolation. The arising of lights may signal a period of enhanced neuroplasticity and potential for important and enduring shifts.”

Another popular explanation for the phenomenon posits that the experience of light is linked to meditation-based stimulation of the pineal gland which is situated deep in the brain at the level of the “third eye.” Some would suggest that visions of light indicate that the “third eye is opening.”

Should I be excited about seeing light?

That depends on your motivation. While there are a good many stories of the “I opened my third eye, saw the lights, and have regretted it ever since” kind on internet, most people speak of their experiences with a mix of curiosity and gratitude. Some meditation-related practices, both traditional and New Age, actually focus on arousing experiences of light. For example, in certain Buddhist visualization practices, the meditator imagines light as an expression of lovingkindness and wisdom that touches all living beings, relieves them of their suffering and endows them with lasting happiness. This deliberate visualization method is not related to the experiences of light that may arise from the lack of sensory input connected to deep states of meditation.

As meditator and sobriety activist Tokpa Korlo explains in his Mind Talk, one purpose of regular mindfulness practice is to develop love and compassion for others. Being rooted in the present moment helps individuals appreciate the beauty of now. As a result, they develop an overriding peace of mind and well-being that they naturally want to share with others. The ability to mindfully appreciate the power of now is the basis for more active inquiry into the nature of the mind and how best to use the insights gained to benefit others and the world.

You may possibly have a “white light experience” during your mindfulness or awareness meditation session; just embrace it as a natural part of your practice. If you’re practicing mindfulness, you can regard the light as another mental event, acknowledge it, and go back to your practice. If you’re practicing awareness meditation, the white light experience can be integrated into your investigation of mind.

Interested in learning more about mindfulness and awareness meditation? Mindworks Meditation Courses have everything you need to get your practice going or enhance the practice you’ve already got. Talks, Guided Meditations, contemplations, blogs, and some of the best teachers out there. White light experience not included, but welcome.

How To Practice White Light Meditation:

You can follow the step by step instructions mentioned here and start practicing white light meditation right away:

• Sit in a quiet place.
• Sit in an upright position, spine, back, and neck straight. Choose a seated pose of your choice.
• Play some soft music to indulge in deep meditation in the background.
• Let your hands rest on the thighs with the tips of the thumb and middle fingers in touch.
• Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths.
• Take a deep inhalation via your nose and exhale via your mouth.
• As you inhale, feel the air filling in your chest along with serenity and peace.
• As you exhale, expel all your negative emotions – stress, anxiety, worries.
• Do this 5 more rounds.
• Keeping your eyes closed, feel a pale blue light atop your head.
• Experience warmth.
• Once you feel the warmth spreading, allow it to enter into your body, right through your brain.
• Let it flow in a clockwise way, allowing the light to cleanse your brain completely. Do this until you feel light.
• Now, let it flow into your Ajna chakra and slowly down through your Vissudha and Anahata into Manipura.
• Feel the energy filling in each of your Chakra, cleansing, and decongesting each one, before letting it flow out of it to the next.
• Once it descends into your Hara Chakra, feel the light swirl in a very quick manner, in the clockwise direction.
• Let it clean in a very aggressive and powerful manner. Experience the powerful light decongesting the clogged Solar Plexus and revitalizing and recharging you.
•  Now let it travel down and deep into your Mooladhara Chakra located within the base of your spine.
• Feel it swoosh, swirl, and clean in a very vigorous way. Let it keep cleaning until you feel completely light and recharged.
• Now, allow it to travel swiftly into your thighs, down the calves, and finally into your toes.
• Once this is over, you should allow light travel from the ground back into your head, in a straight line.
• Feel it moving swift across the seven powerful chakras and finally filling within your brain.
•  Allow it to make a quick swirl, clockwise, and then feel it explode out through your head, leaving you totally calm and relaxed.
• Bring your hands at chest level and join the palms in Namaskar Mudra.
• Say a quick thank you for experience divine calmness.
• Rub your palms vigorously until palms get heated up.
• Place the palms on the closed eyes.
• Slowly, open the closed eyes to the palms and wait until it gets adjusted to the light.
• Open your eyes, feel relaxed, refreshed, rejuvenated and positive.

Start with 10 minutes a day, slowly increasing the duration to 30 minutes.

What Are The Benefits Of White Light Meditation?

There are numerous benefits that you can obtain by practicing Jyoti Dhyana. Here are some of them:

• It improves and enhances your motivation.
• Empowers determination and endurance potential.
• It helps you focus better on your goals.
• It helps you adhere to your vision and achieve your goals.
• Improves your self-confidence.
• It helps to overcome obstacles hindering your path to success.
• It helps you to have a clear thought process.
• Cleanses and clears your clogged core and thus, keeping you away from illness.

Tips:

You just need 10 minutes a day to practice white light meditation. Since the results are better when you practice this at a relaxed state of mind, it is advisable to start doing this as soon as you wake up. Just make sure that you keep these pointers in your mind to get the best results:

• Always be patient.
• Be sincere.
• Never meditate expecting results.
• Keep negative thoughts always off your focus.
• Always be brimming with positive energy.
• Meditate in a fully compassionate way.

The art of Jyoti Dhyana is simple, but the results it bestows are nothing short of miraculous. Its incredible approach allows you to invoke your inner power that has remained dormant all these days. This, in turn, will transform you as a whole. Start practicing white light meditation today, activate the hidden power, and enjoy the unlimited goodness.

Do you meditate? What is your technique for meditation? Why don’t you share it with us in the comments section?